French Expression of the Day: Avoir la baraka
This expression stems from Arabic but is widely used in every day French today - especially at betting shops.
Why do I need to know avoir la baraka?
Because we all need a bit of baraka in our lives.
What does it mean?
Avoir la baraka, pronounced "ah-vwar lah bah-rack-ah", means "to be lucky".
Baraka is actually an Arabic word meaning "blessing" or "the spirit of God".
The expression entered the French lexicon after the colonisation of large swathes of North Africa by France, beginning in the 1830s.
It was initially adopted by French soldiers to mean "to be lucky" and its usage spread during the WW1 when many French troops who had been serving in North Africa returned to fight on the western front.
Today it is still widely used in this sense. Betting companies often use slogans like: Aurez-vous la baraka? - Will you be lucky
Use it like this
T'as gagné car t'avais la baraka - You won because you were lucky
On a eu un peu de la baraka - We were a little bit lucky
Nous avions la baraka, non? - We were lucky, no?
Je vais aller au PMU, j'espère avoir de la baraka - I am going to the betting shop - I hope to be lucky
Synonyms
There are lots of similar expressions to express being lucky.
avoir de la chance / avoir la chance - to be lucky, is the more formal use of the phrase
There are plenty of more casual, slangy, alternatives though;
avoir du bol
avoir du pot
avoir de la veine
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Why do I need to know avoir la baraka?
Because we all need a bit of baraka in our lives.
What does it mean?
Avoir la baraka, pronounced "ah-vwar lah bah-rack-ah", means "to be lucky".
Baraka is actually an Arabic word meaning "blessing" or "the spirit of God".
The expression entered the French lexicon after the colonisation of large swathes of North Africa by France, beginning in the 1830s.
It was initially adopted by French soldiers to mean "to be lucky" and its usage spread during the WW1 when many French troops who had been serving in North Africa returned to fight on the western front.
Today it is still widely used in this sense. Betting companies often use slogans like: Aurez-vous la baraka? - Will you be lucky
Use it like this
T'as gagné car t'avais la baraka - You won because you were lucky
On a eu un peu de la baraka - We were a little bit lucky
Nous avions la baraka, non? - We were lucky, no?
Je vais aller au PMU, j'espère avoir de la baraka - I am going to the betting shop - I hope to be lucky
Synonyms
There are lots of similar expressions to express being lucky.
avoir de la chance / avoir la chance - to be lucky, is the more formal use of the phrase
There are plenty of more casual, slangy, alternatives though;
avoir du bol
avoir du pot
avoir de la veine
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